Fantasy Football 2012 Week 11 Rankings: Top 25 Tight Ends

Week 10 saw numerous tight ends post impressive numbers. Who will be this week’s surprising performer? Which struggling tight end may right the ship? How should we value top tight ends who are banged up?

Let’s try to answer all of these questions with our Week 11 rankings:

Rob Gronkowki – New England Patriots – vs. Indianapolis

Jimmy Graham – New Orleans Saints – at Oakland

Antonio Gates – San Diego Chargers – at Denver

Jason Witten – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Cleveland

Tony Gonzalez – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Arizona

Heath Miller – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Baltimore

Owen Daniels – Houston Texans – vs. Jacksonville

Aaron Hernandez – New England Patriots – vs. Indianapolis

Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles – at Washington

Greg Olsen – Carolina Panthers – vs. Tampa Bay

Dustin Keller – New York Jets – at St. Louis

Vernon Davis – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Chicago

Jermaine Gresham – Cincinnati Bengals – at Kansas City

Brandon Myers – Oakland Raiders – vs. New Orleans

Dwayne Allen – Indianapolis Colts – at New England

Joel Dressen – Denver Broncos – vs. San Diego

Jermichael Finley – Green Bay Packers – at Detroit

Brandon Pettigrew – Detroit Lions – vs. Green Bay

Scott Chandler – Buffalo Bills – vs. Miami

Dennis Pitta – Baltimore Ravens – at Pittsburgh

Anthony Fasano – Miami Dolphins – at Buffalo

Lance Kendricks – St. Louis Rams – vs. New York Jets

Tony Moeaki – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Cincinnati

Marcedes Lewis – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Houston

Logan Paulson – Washington Redskins – vs. Philadelphia

Thoughts

Antonio Gates has scored a touchdown in three of his past four games (four touchdowns total). Taking on a Broncos’ team that has been among the worst defending tight ends (including seeing Greg Olsen go for nine receptions, 102 yards and two touchdowns in Week 10), you have to think that another good day is in his future.

With Antonio Brown likely out once again (as well as the possibility of Ben Roethlisberger missing the game), fantasy owners have to like the prospects of Heath Miller. No longer just a red zone target, Miller has emerged as one of the better tight ends in the league and should be a focal point once again.

Will Aaron Hernandez play this week? Everyone expected him to return in Week 10, after the Patriots’ bye week, but that failed to happen. Obviously we have to believe that the Patriots are waiting for him to be 100 percent healthy, so if he is on the field we can expect big things. That said, New England has numerous other options so it is never a guarantee that Hernandez will get a ton of targets. He’s a TE1, but be cautious depending on your alternatives.

Brent Celek has scored a touchdown in three of his past four matchups against the Redskins. Plus, Nick Foles is leading the Eagles, meaning he could be a great safety valve. He’s well worth using as a TE1, especially against a Redskins team that struggles against the pass.

After scoring four touchdowns in his first three games, Vernon Davis has now gone five straight games without finding the end zone. Unless that changes, he’s a low-end option with unlimited potential.

Owen Daniels has always been injury prone, so seeing him miss Week 10 is a major concern.

We’ll include him in the rankings, but make sure to monitor the news just in case he needs an additional week to heal.